One Piece: Heroes' Journey
by Gamer95
Summary: A different outlook on One Piece, where more heroes rise to greatness and become legends. One group sides with Monkey D. Luffy, and one follows a different captain...the Shenron Pirates. [Mega-crossover, OCs with big roles, pairings, such as LuffyxHancock, powerful characters]
1. Chapter 1

Luffy couldn't be happier. Even if it was just a small rowboat and one crew member, his first step to becoming king of the pirates was underway. And he was currently annoying his crewmate, Zoro, with his constant singing.

"Oh, I just can't wait to be kiiiiiing-"

"Luffy, shut up." Zoro rolled his eyes. "Remind me never to let you drag me to any theatre again."

"But Zoro, I'm excited!" Luffy whined. "I'm finally starting a crew! It's the first step to my dream!"

"Well dream to yourself." Zoro replied. "Keep it down so I can sleep." Luffy pouted and continued singing under his breath. After a while, he stopped. "Hey! There's an island!"

"Better stop there. We're running out of food and booze." Zoro replied, not opening his eyes.

"All right! Full speed ahead!" Luffy shouted.

"...We're already going full speed, captain." Zoro said flatly as the boat drifted at a leisurely pace.

"...Oh."

Zalo slowly opened his eyes as he woke up from his sleep. He yawned and stretched. "Huh...Shenron hasn't been here in a while." He said. "I wonder if he found any crewmates...It's been two years since I saw him... Wonder what he's doing..." He looked at the clock on his wall. "Huh...Guess it's time to get out of bed..." He sat up...then immediately lied back down. "Nah. No point getting up... My head's hurting anyway..." He pulled the blankets back up to his chin. Then he heard a knock at his door... He groaned and tried to tune it out, but it got more insitant. "Fine! I'm coming!" He shouted.

Minutes beforehand...

"Hi!" Luffy said as he stepped into the island's marketplace. "Got any meat?"

"Yep! I got the finest meat on the island here!"

"And the only meat on the island from the looks of it." Zoro said.

"Hey, just because it's the only meat on the island doesn't mean it's not the best!"

"There's literally no competition, of course you're the best on the island-"

"Anyway! Have some meat, travellers! Free of charge!"

"...You're a GREAT businessman." Zoro said flatly. "Any chance of free booze?"

"Eh, sorry, I don't have any booze. Try Jerry down the street, he's too drunk to care if you just take it." Zoro grinned and went off to get his alocoholic fix.

Luffy was cramming all the meat into a large burlap sack he carried. "Thanks for the meat!" He said.

"I DIDN'T SAY YOU COULD TAKE ALL OF IT!" The shopkeep yelled.

"EVERYBODY RUN! HE'S DOING IT AGAIN!" Luffy blinked, tilting his head in confusion.

"AGAIN?!" The shopkeeper exclaimed. "WHAT IS IT THIS TIME?!"

"I-It's terrible..."

"What is it?!"

"It's horrible... FLOATING ROCKS!"

"Hahaha! Rocks don't float, dummy!" Luffy laughed. The woman turned to him.

"Y-You don't know?" Luffy frowned and tilted his head again.

"Know about what?"

"The terrible monster that lives on this island!"

"A monster?! COOL!" Luffy said. "I'll go beat it up!"

"Oh, THANK YOU, GREAT SIR!" The woman said, bowing before Luffy. "You are our saviour..."

"So what kind of monster is it?" Luffy asked, slamming his fist into his palm.

"A TERRIBLE monster with weird powers!" The woman said.

"What's he look like?" Luffy asked.

"Well, one of us, really." The woman replied. "But it's all a trick, don't believe it!"

"What kind of powers does he have?"

"We're not exactly sure...But he can make things float and explode. Even people!" Luffy's eyes widened, then he grinned/

"THAT'S SOOOO COOOOOOOOL!" He shouted.

"ANYWAY, traveller, if you want to fight this monster, he lives in the house on the cliffside over there." Luffy's grin widened.

"I don't wanna fight him! I wanna make him part of my crew!" Everyone in the vicinity froze and snapped their heads over to look at Luffy in shock. The shopkeep finally spoke up.

"Now be careful what you say, friend!" He said. "He's killed people!"

"Really? Why?" Luffy asked.

"We don't know."

"...HEY ZORO! STOP DRINKING AND GET OVER HERE! WE'RE GETTING A NEW CREWMATE!"

"Kay." Zoro called back. "Just give me an...hour."

"NO, WE'RE GOING NOW!"

"Go by yourself, I'm busy!"

"FINE! I WILL!" Luffy laughed gleefully as he ran in the direction of the house.

Present time...

"HEY! OPEN THE DOOR! COME ON! LET ME IN!" Luffy shouted. The door slowly opened, and a man with shaggy long hair, utterly hollow eyes, and a pair of two-piece pajamas.

"What?"

"Hi! I'm looking for a monster! Have you seen one?" The man stared at Luffy for a moment, then closed the door on him. Luffy blinked. "...Sir?!"

Zalo sighed and went to sit in his armchair. He was awake now, no sense going back to sleep... "SIR!" Zalo scowled at the sound of the yelling 17 year old outside his house. "Go home already..." He muttered with his deadpan voice.

1 hour later...

Zoro had finally had his fill of alcohol, and he was carrying enough to last him at least a month in two large barrels. He saw Luffy standing outside a house and noticed the bag of meat he had. He frowned.

"Luffy, we can't take that much meat with us on that tiny boat." Zoro said flatly.

"Yeah we can. If we can take that much alcohol on the ship, we can take this much meat."

"...Touche. What are you doing, anyway?"

"I'm trying to get this guy to tell me where the monster is."

"...Uh...Luffy? I think the guy IS the monster." Luffy frowned.

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"Because there's a big sign on the side of his house that says "Beware the Monster" in graffiti."

"Ooooooooh." Luffy said in understanding. "Well can you help me get him to talk to me?"

Three seconds later, the door was cut into three neat pieces. Zalo didn't move from his chair, staring forward with an utterly impassive look on his face.

"...My brother made that door. He was quite proud of it. And now you've gone and wrecked it. So what do you want? You want to kill me or something? ...Fine. Whatever. I don't even care anymore." Luffy laughed.

"Hahaha! You're really funny! No, I want you to be my nakama!"

"...Straw hat boy say what now?"

"What's your name?"

"I go by a few names. Monster, freak, abomination..."

"What's the name your parents gave you?" Zoro asked.

"Mistake. My birth parents gave me the name Mistake since the day of my birth, since they hated me since the day of my birth. My ADOPTED parents, bless their souls, gave me a proper name. It's Zalo."

"Zolo?"

"Call me that again and die." Zalo replied, still not conveying any form of emotion.

"Well, Zalo..." Luffy began. "Wanna turn this world upside down with me?"

"...No."

"But-"

"No. I have my own things to do in life. I'm kinda waiting for someone to come home, and I can't be spending my time running around with you and your friend over there doing whatever the hell it is you do."

"But-"

"Luffy, lay off him. If he doesn't wanna come, leave him alone."

"See, your friend's smart." Luffy sighed.

"Well...Bye then..." He said quietly. Wordlessly, the two pirates left, and Zalo got to work putting his door back.

"...You're not giving up, are you?" Zoro asked once the two were out of earshot. Luffy laughed.

"Nope!"

"Great...Guess we're staying the night at an inn." Zoro sighed. "Guess it's better than that damn boat..."

"Hey, I like the boat!" Luffy pouted.

"Whatever...Let's go already..."

Zalo sighed as he finished reattaching his door. "Great...Guess I'll read or something..."

The next day...

Zalo woke up with a groan. Another headache...Those damn devil fruit powers... Why couldn't he control it? Sighing, he got out of his bed. He needed to "purchase" some more aspirin... Guess it was time to head out into that stupid town he called "home" again...

Meanwhile...

Luffy was the first to wake up. "MORNING, ZORO!" He shouted in his friend's ear, causing him to yell in surprise and fall off of his bed.

"DAMN IT, LUFFY!" He snapped.

"What? I was just waking you up..."

"Whatever...I'm awake now, might as well go into town..."

"YEAH!" Luffy cheered. "I still need to find a way to get the monster guy in my crew!"

"Yeah, yeah, let's go already." Zoro got to his feet grudgingly, upset about his slumber being interrupted.

Back to Zalo...

"GET OUT OF OUR TOWN, FREAK!" A child shouted as he threw a tomato in Zalo's direction.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Zalo muttered, a bag of stolen food items and medical supplies in hand. "I'm going already, piss off."

"Hey it's you!" Zalo turned at the familiar voice.

"Oh great...You guys again..."

"Have you thought about my offer yet?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah. For about two seconds, and I came to my final decision."

"What is it?"

"You sure you're ready for this? After I tell you, there's no changing my mind."

"I'm ready!"

"It's still no."

"WHAAAAAT?! COME ON, LET'S GO BE PIRATES TOGETHER!" Zalo stopped.

"Hmm...Pirate, huh? Question for you then, 'pirate...' Have you seen a man by the name of Dragon Co D. Shenron?"

"Who?" Luffy asked.

"Might have heard the name in a book or something..." Zoro replied.

"Well, never mind then. Later." Zalo walked away, a small smile on his face. "Heh...My bro's in a book...That's pretty cool." Luffy and Zoro stared after Zalo's retreating form, frowning.

"...We should follow him." Luffy said.

"Okay..." Zoro replied with a shrug.

Zalo was walking down the street, still lost in thought, and suddenly found himself surrounded by a whole bunch of villagers, all armed with various weapons. He sighed.

"Is it that time again?" The obvious ringleader of the mob stepped up to him, eyes narrowed.

"The only reason you've survived this long is because of your brother's good name here." He spat. "But that's not enough to keep you alive anymore. We can't take you anymore. Either get out, or we'll kill you."

"Look, you're the ones causing all the big issues here. I'm perfectly content to just stay home, mind my own business, come into town every now and then to get the things I need to...y'know, live and stuff, and you'd be living safe and happy. But no, instead you choose to live in fear of me when I have no intention of doing anything to any of you." Zalo said, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Besides, you do this every week, and you never succeed. What makes this time any different?" The ringleader smirked.

"Because the government gave me something special." Zalo stiffened at the mention of the government. Damn them...

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

"Ever heard of sea stone bullets?"

"Damn...Well, you got me then. Go ahead. Kill me. See what happens when Shenron comes home."

"We'll deal with him later." The villager replied. "Now time for the main event..." Zalo sighed and closed his eyes, painting a metaphorical X on his chest.

"Well, go for it. Give me your best shot. I can take it. Just shoot away."

"With pleasure." With an absolutely evil grin, the villager pulled the trigger, launching the bullet.

'Well, here's hoping heaven exists.' Zalo thought, waiting for the bullet to make its mark...

SHING!

Zalo opened one eye and frowned when he saw a certain green-haired swordsman crouched in front of him, poised in a position that clearly signified he had swung his sword. The bullet lay at his feet, sliced neatly in two.

"...I kinda wanted to die, really..."

"Well too bad. My captain's interested in you, so you're gonna live whether you like it or not."

"What if I decide to throw myself into the ocean? What then?"

"Then I'll drag your ass back out."

"Huh...What if I stab myself in the throat with one of those swords when you're not looking?"

"Thing is, you'll never get to my swords, even if I'm not looking."

"Knives are still a viable option."

"I'll cut those up too." Zoro and Zalo exchanged a grin.

"...I think I like you, swordsman."

As they talked, they heard a loud voice.

"Gumo-Gumo no...BAZOOKA!"

Suddenly, from off in the distance, a pair of arms shot forward, stretching as if made of rubber, and then slamming into two people in the front of the mob, sending them flying back and crashing into the people behind them. Zalo and Zoro both turned to see Luffy, eyes narrowed dangerously, as he stepped up to confront the mob.

"What are you doing to my crewmate?!" He snapped.

"I'm NOT your crewmate, guy-" A villager ignored Zalo's half-hearted protest.

"We're taking care of the demon!"

"What did he do that's SO BAD?!" Luffy snapped.

"He killed some people!" Zalo interrupted.

"Yeah, by accident. And those were a bunch of low-down crooks who killed someone...really important right in front of my face. Please forgive me for losing my sh*t and unintentionally causing the deaths of people who, quite frankly, deserved it."

"There! Why should you hate him now?"

"Well his powers are different. It makes him a FREAK!"

"Really? I'm a freak, yet Shenron gets a free pass? That's what I'm getting out of this..."

"Shut it, nerdy!" One of the villagers snapped.

"Oh, yeah, then there's the walking mountains of meat who pick on me for being scrawny and wearing glasses..."

"MOUNTAIN OF MEAT?! WHERE?!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Figure of speech, Luffy." Zoro replied.

"Aww..." Luffy whined.

"Well...Well...I don't know, it's...It's just...He can't control his devil fruit! We don't want him hurting anyone in the village! We're scared, okay?! At least Shenron can control his powers! And because of that, he became the town hero!"

"Well, I would LEARN to control my powers, if I had a training ground or something to use!" The villagers looked down shamefully. Zalo sighed. "I forgive you..."

"Huh?!" All of the villagers exclaimed.

"I'll forgive you because I'm not gonna be here any longer."

"What do you mean?" A male villager asked.

"Well, I do have a captain to follow now."

"Really? Who?" Luffy asked. Zalo looked at the straw-hatted pirate in disbelief.

"...Uh...YOU, you dumbass..." He said flatly.

"He IS a dumbass, isn't he?" Zoro agreed.

"Heeeeey!" Luffy pouted. The mob's ringleader approached.

"Well...To apologize for what we've done...We may not have any real...ships around, but we do have some decently sized boats around here that you're welcome to."

"Oh. Thanks. That's cool." Zalo replied.

Zoro was holding a kayak, large enough to hold about six people, over his head, as Luffy and Zalo walked ahead of him.

"So...You don't seem too excited to have me on board," Zalo said.

"Well, I knew you'd join anyway!" Luffy said with a smile. Zalo chuckled.

"Wow, you're like the most optimistic person I know." He said. "Well...Make that second..."

"Eh? Who could be more optimistic than LUFFY?" Zoro exclaimed.

"Just some guy I know." Zalo replied with a small smile.

"Let's head out to sea!" Luffy exclaimed. "Oh! By the way...What's your devil fruit ability?"

"...The Psycho-Psycho fruit." Zalo replied calmly.

"So you're a psycho then! Glad you're on my side!" Zalo gained a tick mark on his forehead.

"I'M NOT PSYCHOTIC, IT'S JUST THE NAME OF THE DEVIL FRUIT! IT MEANS PSYCHIC! PSY! CHIC!"

"So...Can you move stuff with your mind?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, but it gives me one hell of a nasty headache..."

"That's cool." Luffy replied happily.

"...Yeah...Real cool..." Zalo replied.

"Come on, let's head out to sea!" Luffy exclaimed, preemptively jumping into the water, forgetting the boat wasn't in the water yet. Zalo stared for a few seconds.

"Zoro! Luffy jumped in the water!" Zoro sighed.

"Damn idiot..." He grumbled before dropping the boat and diving in after the captain. As Zalo watched the scene, he thought to himself...

'What are you up to, Shenron?"

At Impel Down...

A tall, muscular man was tied to a sea stone chair by sea stone chains. A massive man with a horned helmet walked in, glaring at the prisoner.

"Meal time, Dragon Co."

"Ah, Poison Boy, what happened to the last person who came to feed me? Was I a little too rough on him?"

"If you call breaking every bone in his body 'rough', then yeah."

"Not my fault the idiot unlocked my cuffs."

"...Fair enough..." Magellan replied.

"Oh! Poison boy! Know what I just realized?!"

"I'm sure I don't want to know."

"I think you really do."

"No, I'm quite positive I don't."

"It'll help you with your prison managing, don't worry."

"Hmmm...Fine. What is it?"

"You're actually out of the washroom! Like, holy sh*t! I've never seen you out of the washroom this long!"

"Why you little-"

"Well it's not my fault you have poison for breakfast, lunch and dinner! That's what's giving you diarrhea!"

"POISON IS DELICIOUS!"

"Well I've never tried it personally, so I wouldn't know... Oh, anyway, Poison Boy-"

"It's WARDEN MAGELLAN!"

"Okay, Poison Warden...How are the other prisoners down here? Because if I remember correctly, there's one I wanted to meet..."

"Oh? And who would that be?"

"I think it was a man named Shiryu..." Magellan's eyes widened.

"How do you know about him?"

"I have my resources in this prison. But that's not important right now. Cause you see, I'm coming down with a bad case of boredom, and it can only be cured by meeting this special person, and if I don't, I might develop a stutter. P-P-Please don't do this to me." Magellan stared weirdly at Shenron.

"Why do you want to meet this man so badly after what he did to you?"

"You could say it's for curiousity's sake...Or..." The room suddenly grew very high in pressure. It became hard to breathe. "You could say it's to put fear in his heart. Let him know that if he ever F*CKS with me again, he WILL die." Magellan took a step back in fear. The pressure faded as Shenron smiled dumbly. "But it's also just to have a little fun. It's kinda boring in here. And if you take off my cuffs, I won't hurt you. I already tried and failed to escape when a normal guard took off my cuffs...Mainly because I was having a LIIIITTLE too much fun with him." Magellan stared. "So can I?"

"...Sure...Against my better judgement..."

"Really? Why?"

"I never really liked the guy anyway..."

"Yaaaaaay!"

And so...

You know, Poison Warden..." Shenron said as they walked down the hallway. Magellan growled. "You're not that bad of a person in hindsight." Magellan was surprised. "You're the only person I can have a normal conversation with in this place, since all of the prisoners in my area are batch*t crazy and the guards are too scared to even look at me, let alone talk to me. I've tried to strike up conversation. Y'know, football, new pirates and stuff...I've gotten a LITTLE information out of them...But after I try to talk more after I think they're comfortable, they piss themselves and run away! You should get your guards checked out to see if they have the balls to actually guard me." Magellan looked down shamefully. "But, again, you can't really complain. I mean, I'm still IN HERE, aren't I?" Magellan thought to himself. "Oh! Looks like we're here!" Shenron said. Magellan looked at the steel-tinted door. "Why do you guys keep him in a tinted door? It's not like he has a devil fruit or anything."

"There are plenty of powerful people who don't use devil fruits."

"Yeah, but those people are in regular cages. Anyway, can I go in now? And can you unlock my cuffs?"

"Why would I unlock your cuffs?"

"I'm just gonna have a little fun with him. Don't worry, he'll survive." Magellan thought to himself about the pros and cons of doing this. He finally came to a decision.

"Tell NO ONE."

"My lips are sealed."

Magellan's stomach grumbled, and his eyes widened as he clutched at it. He hurriedly unlocked the cuffs. "HERE'S THE KEY, CLOSE THE DOOR BEHIND YOU, I HAVE TO GO!" He exclaimed as he dashed down the hallway.

"See ya, Poison Warden!" Shenron called after him. "I'll remember this!" He faced the door. "Hmm...So I have my devil fruit powers back...Oh, THIS is gonna be FUN..." He opened the door just a crack. "Shiiiiiry-chan~" He said. He poked his head through the door, grinning ear to ear, utterly sadistic. "Heeeeeeeere's SHENNY!" Shiryu looked up and his eyes widened.

"How did you get out of your cell?!"

"I have my ways...Shiry-chan. Now...Let's have a nice little chat about what you did to me. As friends, I don't think that's a very nice thing to do to your buddy...Now, it's only fair if I do it to you...But I can't do EXACTLY what you did to me...Cause...It would ruin you forever. So I'll just do my own little way of torture-I mean fun."


	2. Chapter 2

Luffy, Zoro and Zalo were lounging on their dinghy. Zoro looked out into the ocean. "Hey, guys, anymore booze?" Zalo checked in the barrels for the alcohol.

"Um...There's a small puddle on the bottom of the one on the left..."

"Give it here."

"But I need to drink too!"

"Give it here."

"What'll you do if I drink it?"

"I'll kick your ass, that's what I'll do!"

"I'mma do it."

"You will NOT do it."

"I'm gonna do it."

"Fine, have the damn sake..."

"LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"OWWWWW!" Zalo complained. "DAMN IT, LUFFY, WE'RE RIGHT HERE, DON'T YELL IN MY EAR!"

"Sorry." Luffy chuckled.

"So what are you so excited about again?"

"Well we found land!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Great!" Zoro said. "We need a refill on booze anyway."

"And meat!"

"And aspirin..." Zalo rubbed his head.

"You nearly tipped our boat over last night!" Luffy laughed.

"Sorry again..."

"Huh? What's that over there?" Luffy asked. He pointed forward to something moving in the water... "It's really, REALLY fast!"

"How fast?" Zoro asked, not wanting to open his eyes.

"Well, it's headed straight for us." Zalo replied. "And it's crossing the distance QUITE quickly."

"WHAT?!" Zoro exclaimed as he shot up. Suddenly, something hit their boat, flipping it upside down.

A tanned female's head with brown hair tied into a loose bun popped out of the water, and she rubbed her head with a groan. "I swam further than I thought...That's a record..." She said cheerfully. "What'd I hit?"

"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE SWIMMING!" Zoro snapped as his head popped out of the water. "Look what you did!" Then he remembered his two companions were both devil fruit users. "Ah crap... You just knocked two devil fruit users into the ocean."

"Oh my gosh, I'm soooo sorry!"

"Sorry's not gonna save their asses..."

"I'll get them back right away!" She offered. Zoro's eyes widened when he realized how long they must have been sinking.

"DAMN IT! THERE'S NO WAY I CAN CATCH UP TO THEM IN TIME TO SAVE THEM!" The girl grinned.

"Leave it to me!" She said. Zoro raised a brow, and then she dived. Zoro waited for exactly three seconds...Then something broke the surface, splashing him with sea water.

"GOD DAMN IT!" He said in annoyance. He looked to see the woman had returned, holding Luffy and Zalo underneath each arm.

"See? I got them!" She said with a smile.

"How...Never mind..." Zoro muttered as he flipped the boat over. "Great...It'll take days for that to dry off..."

"I'm so sorry...Here. Let me help you back to my village."

"Sure." Zoro shrugged. "Not like we have anywhere else to go." She chuckled nervously.

"Yeah...Sorr-"

"Yeah, Yeah, I get it, you're sorry, just get us outta the water already." Zoro rolled his eyes and began swimming, pushing the boat as he did so.

"Need any help with that?"

"Nah, I need the exercise."

"You look like you get PLENTY of excercise..."

"No such thing as too much, though."

"I guess you're right. When I'm swimming, I don't really know when to stop. Sometimes I swim out a little too far from home, and get lost in the middle of the sea...It's...pretty embarrassing, actually..."

"Heh...Guess you have poor sense of direction." Zoro said with a smirk.

"I do not!" The woman pouted. She smiled. "Race ya back to the island!" Zoro raised a brow.

"You're carrying two guys, and I'm pushing a boat that's literally as light as a toothpick to me. How can you possibly beat-" Before he could finish his sentence, she shot off through the water like a rocket, Luffy and Zalo in tow. Zoro instantly knew there was no way he'd be able to keep up.

"God damn it..."

And so...

"Geez, woman, couldn't you have waited up a little bit?!" Zoro complained thirty minutes later. It had taken the woman three minutes to get back to the island.

"Sorry. I'm used to swimming alone, so I've kinda gotten used to swimming fast." The woman replied, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

"Whatever...So this is your village? Kinda lame, sorry to say."

"Yeah, I know...But there's this really good doughnut shop down the road. Wanna get some-"

"DOUGHNUTS?!" Luffy shouted, immediately waking up. "I wanna doughnut!" Luffy shouted. Unfortunately for Zoro, he was standing right next to Luffy when he shouted.

"AGH! LUFFY, PIPE DOWN!" Zoro snapped, clutching his now aching ear.

"Sorry, Zoro." Luffy laughed.

"Tch...Whatever." He scoffed. Zalo groaned and raised a hand to his head as he sat up.

"What happened...?" He groaned.

"You're awake! I thought you died!" Luffy laughed.

"Ugh...PLEASE keep it down...My head is killing me, and I don't need you screaming in my ear."

"Sorry. Heeheeheehee..."

"So...What happened, Zoro?" Zalo asked.

"Ask her." Zoro gestured to the woman, who waved sheepishly.

"Hi...Um...My name is Aoi Asahina...Sorry I crashed into your boat and kinda sorta almost killed you..."

"Okay." Luffy replied, smiling.

"...Wait, what?" Zalo asked.

"I was swimming...I wasn't looking where I was going..."

"How can that be a thing?!" Zalo asked.

"What do you mean?" Aoi asked.

"How can you crash and flip a boat just by swimming without looking?!"

"Uh...Swimming...really REALLY fast?" Aoi asked sheepishly. Zalo stared at her flatly.

"...Yeah, okay..."

"Sooooo..." Luffy interrupted. "Doughnuts!" Aoi grinned.

"YEAH! LET'S GO GET SOME! IT'S ON ME!" She laughed as she ran off down the street.

"DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUGHNUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTS!" Luffy shouted as he ran after her. "DOUGHNUTSDOUGHTNUTSDOUGHNUTS..."

Zoro and Zalo stared with sweatdrops on the backs of their heads. "...Well...better not keep them waiting." Zalo said.

"I guess you're right." Zoro shrugged.

And so...

"...I didn't even get a doughnut..." Zalo said.

"You have to be aggresive when eating with Luffy." Zoro shrugged. " And that girl's almost as bad as he is... Here...I managed to snag a few when they weren't looking." He tossed Zalo two chocolate doughnuts.

"Thanks, man!" Zalo replied, smiling as he caught his treats. "So...We just gonna wait for them to finish?"

"Eyup." Zoro replied. "...Wanna play cards?"

"Eyup..."

Two hours later...

Luffy's belly was bulging outward, and he let out a content sigh. "Those were some good doughnuts!" He let out a loud belch.

"...Ugh...Really?" Zalo scowled as he held his nose. "I can TASTE that!"

"Sorry!" Aoi, who for some reason appeared entirely unaffected by the number of doughnuts she just ate, laughed.

"I've never met anyone else who can eat that many doughnuts before!" She said.

"Well they're good!" Luffy replied.

"True that!" Aoi agreed. The two of them clacked their mugs of milk together.

"DAMN IT!" Zoro shouted. Aoi and Luffy turned to see Zalo smiling proudly and Zoro seething with anger. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO DAMN GOOD AT POKER?!"

"Years of practice with my brother. And if it makes you feel better, I've never won a game against him."

"Who's your brother?" Luffy asked, head tilted.

"Oh yeah...I never did tell you guys, did I? Remember the man I was asking you about back on my island?"

"Hmm...Nope!" Luffy replied with a smile. Zalo sweatdropped.

"Well, his name is Dragonco D. Shenron." Aoi snapped her head over to look at him in surprise.

"Did...Did you say Shawn?!"

"...No...Shenron." Zalo replied. "Seriously, guys, I'm running out of sweatdrops here."

"Yeah, sorry...So...this Shenron...I think I've heard of him..." Zalo's eyes widened.

"How?!"

"My grandpa might have met him. He said he met a lot of weird people in the grand line."

"YOUR GRANDPA'S BEEN TO THE GRAND LINE?!" Luffy yelled in excitement.

"Yeah! You wanna meet him?" Aoi asked.

"Yes!" Luffy and Zalo replied eagerly. They both got up and ran after Aoi. Zoro stared at the cards with a twitching eye.

"ZALO, WHAT ABOUT THE GAME?!"

"FORGET THE GAME! MY BROTHER!" Zoro scowled.

"F*CK CARDS!" He sliced the cards to pieces and ran after his crewmates.

And so...

A large, portly blue fish-like man with whiskers, wearing a yellow sun hat, a green Hawaiian shirt and navy blue shorts and sandals sat on the porch of a house by the ocean, absentmindedly playing a small ukulele.

"GRANDPA!" The fishman looked over and grinned as his granddaughter ran over to him.

"Ah, Aoi! How's it going? Back from your swim already?"

"Yep, and I brought friends!"

"I see that! What are your names?"

"I'm Luffy! I'm the man who'll be king of the pirates!"

"Oh, will you know? That's a tough position to fill since Roger died."

"You knew Roger too?" Zalo asked.

"I met him once in my travels."

"I'm Zoro." Zoro said.

"Nice to meet you."

"And uh...My name's Zalo. And...I have a question for you...Your granddaughter here said you know a man."

"Oh? And what's this man's name?"

"Dragonco D. Shenron." Zalo replied. The fishman's eyes widened.

"...Before we continue this conversation any longer, I should tell you my name. It's Goro."

"Nice to meet you, Goro." Zalo replied. "So have you heard of him?"

"Yes, I've met this man." Goro smiled nostalgically. "He was a nice boy when I met him...He was strong...Polite...And always talking about his big brother...Said he was the only reason he kept living anymore, at least until he found his crew." Zalo's eyes widened in surprise.

"...I had no idea that feeling went both ways..." Goro blinked.

"So then you're his brother, I'm guessing."

"Yes. I am his brother."

"So, did you get the devil fruit he sent?"

"Unfortunately, yes..."

"You know, we spent a lot of time looking for that one on this island."

"What do you mean?"

"This island, Adam's Ale Island, is famous for having devil fruits appear on it once in a while."

"Really now?"

"Maybe we can get you a devil fruit, Zoro!" Luffy laughed.

"Then who would save your asses when you fall overboard?" Zoro asked.

"Good point..." Luffy replied.

"Anyways, we're getting off topic." Goro replied. "Come inside, we'll talk more. I made doughnuts!"

"DOUGHNUTS?!" Luffy and Aoi exclaimed.

"HOW CAN YOU STILL BE HUNGRY?! YOU ATE FIFTY ALREADY!" Zoro shouted. Goro laughed.

"You don't know my Aoi!" He said. "She can eat as much as a rubberman!" Everyone stopped.

"That's me!" Luffy said with a grin.

"What do you mean?"

"I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit! I'm a rubberman!" Luffy stretched the side of his mouth. Goro's eyes widened, then he threw his head back and laughed.

"Well how about that? You two have powerful devil fruits. Never forget that. Anyways, come inside for the-" The door slammed shut, and Luffy and Aoi were now out of sight. "...Well...You two better get in there before the doughnuts are all gone."

"They're gone already." Zoro said.

"Heh...Most likely." Goro agreed. Luffy and Aoi walked out.

"Thanks, grandpa...We saved half for you three. I'm gonna go take Ruffy to explore the island. Zolo and Zaylo can come if they want."

"It's Luffy." Luffy replied with a frown.

"DON'T CALL ME ZOLO!" Zoro snarled.

"Zaylo? Really? ZALO!"

"Oh...Sorry...Who's coming?"

"I'll go." Zoro shrugged. "Maybe there's some booze on this island."

"I have some sake down in the basement." Goro offered.

"...Lead the way, old guy." Zoro replied.

"My pleasure! Zalo, if you'll come along, I'd be happy to tell you about my meeting with Shenron!"

"It would be appreciated." Zalo replied with a smile. "Have fun, captain!"

"Okay! I'll see ya later!" Luffy replied with a wave. "Let's go, Aoi!"

"All right, come on, Ruffy! Follow me!"

"LUFFY." Luffy replied, chasing after her.

"What an interesting lad." Goro said. "Kinda reminds me of Shenron. I wonder what he's been up to lately..."

In Impel Down...

Magellan and Shenron were sitting in the latter's cell. "Look what happens when I let you have your way." Magellan scolded.

"Look, I MAY have gotten a LITTLE bit too excited when I was playing with Shiri-chan..."

"You call that 'playing'?! I expected you to maybe rough him up a little bit, but not what you ended up doing to him!"

"It's not my fault!"

"Then who's fault IS it?!"

"...Maybe it's your fault. Ever consider that?"

"How is it MY fault?!"

"Well, you're the one who let me go in there in the first place."

"...Ugh..." Magellan groaned.

"Well, anyway, Mr. Warden Man, anything new and exciting happen today?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean any new prisoners, or...something?"

"No...Not today."

"Can you tell me when that happens? It's lonely down here."

"...Sure...I suppose..."

"Thanks. Now, I have a small favour to ask."

"Oh, and what could it be this time?"

"You make it sound like I ask too much of you."

"You DO. Remember the time you asked me to let you out so you could say hi to the other prisoners?!"

"Yeah...So?"

"Well, when I came back, most of them were cowering in puddles of their own urine, and the other half were unable to form coherent sentences and had to be taken to other levels!"

"Not my fault."

"Who's fault is it?!"

"Well, we've been over this. It was YOURS for letting me out in the first place!"

"...Ugh..." Magellan sighed in frustration.

"Anyways, so can I tell you my favour?"

"...Go ahead..."

"I would like to spar with you."

"...Huh?"

"Well, y'see...In all my...years of being down here, I feel I've gotten a little bit rusty, and I've got the urge to do some fighting. See, everyone else down here is SO weak, that there's no point even trying to pick a fight with them. You, on the other hand, could be a good fight. See where I'm gettin' at here?"

"And why would I agree to this? You would have an opportune moment to kill me and escape right then."

"Well, you see...I'm not going to escape for a while. I can leave any time I want. And I mean ANY TIME. I just decided to stay here for a while."

"Oh? And how would you get out 'any time you wanted' then, huh?"

"Well you see, Magellan, there's some powers seastone cuffs can't surpress." Magellan's eyes widened.

"...And you just want to spar?"

"Yeah, that's all I wanna do."

"...Ugh...Fine... We can go to a secret extra-barricaded cell, if you like. I'll take you to the area I use for train-" His stomach growled. "...I'll be back!" He ran to the bathroom.

"...I'll be here when you get back..."

6 hours later...

"Well, that took a long time."

"Shut up."

"Well, are we going?"

"...Come on..."

And so...

"Here we are."

"So...You gonna take off my cuffs?"

"Hmmm...Here...Here's the key...

"Ah, thank you." He unlocked his cuffs. "There! Shall we get started now? I'll let you have the first move."

"As you wish. Hydra!" A large, purple dragon-shaped wad of poison came from the warden's body, and lunged for Shenron, mouth agape.

"...Too predictable. Pressure...FIST!" Shenron threw his fist forward, causing a pulse of air to fly out of it, slowing down the dragon, allowing Shenron the opportune moment to dodge. "My turn now! Almighty...PUSH!" Magellan felt an extreme force of something he couldn't explain collide with him, pushing him into the wall.

"What...was that...?"

"You'd think you'd know my moves, since you're my warden."

"There was never any file of your battle techniques."

"Well you should make one."

"Maybe I will."

"Ready to continue?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Wow, Aoi! Your island is really cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Thanks, Ruffy!" Aoi replied with a closed-eyed smile.

"It's Luffy." Luffy replied. He laughed.

"Oh! Sorry..." Aoi apologized.

"Don't worry, Aoi!" Luffy replied.

"Oh! My friends call me Hina. Call me Hina from now on." Luffy grinned.

"So we're friends now!" He exclaimed.

"Hey Ruffy..."

"Luffy."

"I'll get it eventually... Wanna come to my secret hangout spot?"

"Really?" Luffy asked. "You sure?"

"Mm-hmm!" Aoi replied, nodding happily. "We're friends now, so I should trust you." She stood. Luffy grinned.

"Thanks!" He replied, also standing.

"Well come on!" Aoi said, leading the way.

'I think I met my next nakama!' Luffy thought gleefully as he dashed after his new friend.

Meanwhile, with Zalo, Goro and Zoro...

"So...what did you want to know about Shenron?" Goro asked.

"How was he doing when you last saw him?"

"Well...he always had a huge grin on his face when I saw him." Goro chuckled as he remembered Shenron's smiling face. Zalo smiled as well.

"Yeah, that's Shenron, alright. Always the optimist." He said fondly.

"At the time, he was bragging about his bounty." Goro said, shaking his head. Zalo tilted his head.

"Oh? What was his bounty?" He asked.

"80 million berries." Goro responded. "He's quite dangerous." Zalo's eyes widened, and Zoro spat his drink out.

"E-EIGHTY MILLION?!" Zoro exclaimed. "I've never even met anyone with a bounty so high!"

"Well, he WAS one of the strongest members on Gold Roger's crew, after all..." Goro replied. Zalo's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.

"WHAT?! HE WAS WITH THE FREAKING KING OF THE PIRATES?! WHY DID HE NEVER TELL ME ABOUT THAT?! I am gonna have words with that brother of mine next time I see him..." Goro chuckled.

"Anything else you want to know about him?"

"Yeah...What of his...special condition? Do you know anything about it?" Goro smiled sadly.

"Ah...You mean when he ate the second one." He said softly, looking forlorn.

"Exactly." Zalo replied, looking serious. "Did he seem...y'know...fine?" Goro looked thoughtful.

"He seemed to have his health under control, if that's what you mean." He replied. Zalo sighed in relief, wiping sweat from his brow. "But you should know...he has gained many powers in his journies. Some of them confused me on how he got them." Zalo smiled.

"Thank you, Goro." He said gratefully.

In Impel Down...

"Right this way." Magellan said as he led a young black-haired woman down to a familiar cell. "Shenron!" Shenron was whistling, idly trying to pass the time.

"Hmm? Yeah, Poison Warden?" Magellan scowled halfheartedly.

"You have a new guard." He gestured to the woman, who stared blankly at the pirate. Shenron smirked.

"Ah, I see you brought one that's actually appealing to look at. But, you know I'm married, so I can't really do anything with her..." The woman's eyes hardened slightly.

"...I will guard him to the best of my ability, Warden." She said.

"Hmm..." Magellan grunted and walked away. There was a long silence. The woman stared at Shenron, saying nothing, expression blank.

"...Sooooooo..." Shenron began. "Have a good day?" No response. "Okay, I see, I see, you don't wanna talk about it...Then um...got any family?" Again, no response. "Oh! Wanna hear a story?" Silence. "Okay, here we go...So, I was on my ship with my crew, right? And my cook has these REALLY cool flames he can use. So he was using those to boil the water for food, but he put his flames at a much higher heat than needed, and all the water went bursting out of the roof. And that's not all...see, me and my crew have like, a pet type of thing, we don't know what it is, but we call him Coco. Anyway, the boiling hot water hit Coco's head, right? So it went into the kitchen, and started fighting our cook. And when me and the crew walked in for dinner, we were entertained with the scene of our cook and our pet holding each other by the neck in a funny position." Shenron burst into laughter. He sighed and wiped a tear from his eye. The woman still stared blankly. "...Stop ignoring me." Shenron said flatly.

"...Why do you talk so much?" The woman asked.

"Hmm...You could say it's because my brother never talked, really. He was too busy moping around with his thoughts, so I had to start pretty much every conversation. Don't get me wrong, I love my brother, but he's a BIT of a loner. So what about you? Got any...boyfriends or anything?"

"Didn't you say you were married?"

"Yeah, yeah I am. Don't get me wrong, I love her. I'm just making conversation."

"...All I have is my sister."

"Oh? And how old is she?"

"18, like me. We're twins."

"Interesting...What's she like?"

"She's the head executioner. She never shows up herself. She lets her little bear animatronic take the head of her executions. I'm the only one who knows her true identity."

"Oh, that's nice." Shenron said. "Oh, I'm the captain of my ship."

"...I...know."

"Oh! I bet you didn't know this...I used to have a god complex." She raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you see, during my time before I joined my first pirate crew, I used my devil fruit power for certain...unpleasant acts of aggression."

"Like what?"

"Remember a town called Cocoa Village?"

"No."

"Exactly."

"...Oh..."

"...So...What's your name?"

"I'm Mukoro. Mukoro Ikusaba."

"Nice name. Um...Wanna do something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's BORING in here for one, you seem bored out of your mind, and I heard there were a bunch of crazy creatures in the eighth prison cage down in section B down here."

"And you wanted to do what with them?"

"Oh. Slaughter them of course."

"...How can you say such a thing so easily?"

"I'll only tell you if you let me do it."

"...No."

"...You're boring."

"I'm doing my job."

"I like Poison Warden better. He was a better conversationalist."

"It's not my job to converse. It's my job to guard you."

"Ooh, ooh I know! Did you get the file on what I said to Poison Warden one day?"

"You'll have to explain."

"Well you see, I told him that seastone cuffs can't hold every power a devil fruit user has."

"...What do you mean?" Mukoro was alerted.

"What I mean is look into my eyes." Mukoro did so. "SHARINGAN!"


End file.
